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About Michael J. Miller

Miller, who was editor-in-chief of PC Magazine from 1991 to 2005, authors this blog for PC Magazine to share his thoughts on PC-related products. No investment advice is offered in this blog. All duties are disclaimed. Miller works separately for a private investment firm which may at any time invest in companies whose products are discussed in this blog, and no disclosure of securities transactions will be made.

My Weekend With Google Glass

Let's get this out the way up front: Google Glass is neither indispensable nor a gigantic hoax. Rather it is primarily a development tool. It's a platform for developers to create applications for the next generation of wearable computers. For early adopters, it is a unique toy. Consider it the tech equivalent of an overpriced Italian sports car: expensive and a bit uncomfortable, but able to do things other devices can't and certain to draw attention.

I got my pair on Friday and while it's too early to do a full review, I want to share some of my initial reactions.

The process of getting Glass is like getting a sports car. You sign up and get put on a waiting list. When your turn comes up, you make an appointment to get fitted for the glasses, much like you might get fitted for any other glasses you have. The difference is that this takes place at a Google office that, at least in New York, has more employees than patrons. This way they can spend a lot of time making sure the fit is right and that you understand the basics of how to use it.

It all has a luxury feel—even the box Glass comes in looks upscale, as do the special pouches for storing Glass itself and the clear and tinted lenses that come with it.

Glass has a tiny display that goes above the right side of your right eye along with a microphone and a tiny camera. You tap on the side of the rim to activate Glass and then various gestures on that side rim let you scroll through different options and screens. A bone-conduction transducer acts as a headphone to let you hear what Google says to you.

In general, the first screen you see when you tap on the side shows the time and a reminder to say "OK Glass" when you want the device to do something. You can then ask Google to search for things (essentially using the Google Now audio search capabilities), take a picture, record a video, give directions, send a message, or start a Google+ hangout.

My guess is the primary first use is to search, and indeed that worked pretty much the way you'd expect Google Now to. It did a fine job when I asked it for the score of the Knicks game, how the Cubs did, or what the weather forecast was, but it struggled with more complicated queries or anything that involved a proper name. That's to be expected and it was interesting to use it for that purpose. Google has pretty good voice recognition, though the field still has a ways to go. The idea that you can ask such questions without pulling out your phone is practical though I'm not sure this is all that much more compelling than a standard Bluetooth headset given that the display resolution only allows very limited information.

To take a picture with Glass you can talk to it or press a button on the top of the Glass. For a video, just hold down the button. This may sound simple, but I found it much faster than pulling the phone out of my pocket.

For instance, above is a photo I took while in a car. Your photos and videos are automatically uploaded to the Google Instant Upload part of Google+ and can be shared with your groups on Google Now or with particular contacts you set up.

Getting directions generally works pretty well. I tried this a couple of times this weekend and the addresses I used were simple enough so that Google recognized them without an issue. While you are driving, the screen turns off most of the time, turning on and giving you audio directions at each step of the journey. Still, I wouldn't recommend using them while driving as the display is just too distracting. (I was a passenger during these tests.)

The device also works fairly well to send a text. As such, it worked better than a Bluetooth headset because you could see the text it was about to send.

None of these uses is particularly unique but they show what may be possible in the future. As I said, this is useful as a developer kit and when you set up your Glass account, you get entry into forums with the APIs for developing for Glass. It's still early though, so there aren't many apps yet. The outside apps that you can install now include New York Times headlines (downloaded once per hour) and sharing via Path.

To use the device, you need to pair it over Bluetooth with your Android phone and you also need to make sure that phone has a tethering plan, as you will use the phone for data when you aren't in a Wi-Fi area. There's an application on the phone that you use to set up the device for such things as connecting to Wi-Fi since there's no good way to enter a password from the headset itself. You can also use the app (or a Web version) to set up the contacts and Google+ circles you want to connect to the headset.

I did notice a few glitches. Glass works better when you don't already wear glasses or when you have contacts. They do fit over standard glasses, but I found myself adjusting the placement of the display a lot. I also experienced some notable eye strain, particularly the first day of using it. When I used Glass outside, it often wanted me to connect to a Wi-Fi network, and making the connection work was often distracting. The menus in general often seem a bit hard to navigate. It takes time to learn the gestures you use on the side of the glass. These aren't necessarily big concerns but they will have to be addressed before this becomes a real consumer product. Of course the $1,500 price tag will have to come down as well.

This is still obviously a work in progress. Most of the things you can do with Glass you can do on a phone right now. I can imagine all sorts of applications that should be possible though. It would be great to have some sort of picture or face recognition, or even something as simple as a Glass version of Shazam or SoundHound to recognize music. AndI was a bit disappointed that there are no augmented reality applications yet because this seems like a natural application. So for now, think of Glass as a developer tool and a gadget for very early adopters. Primarily, it is a glimpse into what might be possible for wearable computers.

One final thought: almost everywhere I went wearing Glass, people asked about it. Lots of folks asked what I thought. I've already heard too many jokes about having been assimilated into the Borg or the Cybermen. Resistance is futile.

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Automatic Renewal Program: Your subscription will continue without interruption for as long as you wish, unless
you instruct us otherwise. Your subscription will automatically renew at the end of the term unless you authorize
cancellation. Each year, you'll receive a notice and you authorize that your credit/debit card will be charged the
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